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Survivorship Stories

In synch with the beat of a drummer in the prow, 20 women bear down on their paddles, propelling their sleek, 44-foot-long boat across the water, a fanciful dragon’s head pointing the way to the finish line.

They’re among more than 125 members of Western New York’s Hope Chest Dragon Boat team—women ranging in age from 35 to 83, who count among their number two nuns, a correctional officer, a massage therapist, realtors, retirees, nurses, teachers and mothers. All of them are strong, but not all of them started out that way. They’ve built their collective muscle and spirit by training and racing together, and they’ve taken on some tough competitors in regattas across the U.S. and Canada...